Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, an annual event to raise awareness about antibiotic resistance and appropriate antibiotic prescription and use, runs Nov. 14-20 this year. In honor of this annual event, here are eight stories and studies about antibiotic resistance and stewardship, published by Becker's in the last few months.
1. CDC publishes antibiotic stewardship guidance for outpatient settings: 4 core elements
Roughly 60 percent of antibiotics in the U.S. in humans is received in outpatient settings. The CDC released the "Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship" on Nov. 11 to assist outpatient clinicians and facilities in their antibiotic stewardship programs.
2. WHO updates SSI prevention guidelines: 29 ways to prevent infections
The World Health Organization's new surgical site infection prevention guidance includes recommendations to reduce the use of antibiotics, calling for use before and during surgery only — not for use after surgery.
3. Study links antibiotic resistance with chlorhexidine exposure
When Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria are exposed to disinfectants containing chlorhexidine, the bacteria can become resistant to colistin, a last-resort antibiotic, according to a study published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
4. Physicians prescribe wrong antibiotic half of the time
Patients treated for ear infections, sore throats and sinus infections are given the wrong antibiotic nearly 50 percent of the time, according to a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine.
5. Community hospital antibiotic use on par with larger hospitals
Even though small community hospitals see less complex patients, their antibiotic use is on par with larger community hospitals and academic medical centers, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
6. Hospital beds' antibiotic history can put future patients at risk for C. diff
When a patient in a hospital bed receives antibiotics, it puts the bed's next occupant at an increased risk of Clostridium difficile infection, a study in JAMA Internal Medicine found, providing evidence that antibiotics can affect the health of people who didn't receive the drugs themselves.
7. Researchers note 'worrisome' trend in broad-spectrum antibiotic use
Despite growing awareness of the development of antibiotic resistance and support for stewardship programs, the overall rate of antibiotic use in the U.S. didn't change from 2006 to 2012, and there were increases in the use of certain antibiotics, including broad-spectrum drugs, according to a report in JAMA Internal Medicine.
8. Stewardship programs can reduce antibiotic use by up to 11.4%
Antimicrobial stewardship programs can effectively reduce antibiotic use in hospitals, according to a study conducted by Comprehensive Pharmacy Services, a provider of pharmacy support services.